1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a fuel pressure regulator working to regulate the pressure of fuel supplied from a fuel tank to an internal combustion engine through a fuel pump, and more particularly to a simple structure of such a fuel pressure regulator designed to minimize a pressure loss of fuel.
2. Background Art
Japanese Patent First Publication No. 2000-45897 discloses a fuel pressure regulator which has a diaphragm working to move a valve body. The diaphragm is made of a rubber film for the purpose of achieving a hermetic seal within the pressure regulator. The diaphragm has an outer periphery retained entirely in a crimped end of a regulator housing to define two chambers in one of which the pressure of fuel works to open a valve body and in other of which no fuel pressure acts on the valve body. This type of pressure regulator requires two separate housings; one for hermetically sealing a chamber within which the fuel pressure works to open a valve body and the other for hermetically sealing a chamber within which no fuel pressure acts on the valve body, thus resulting in increased parts of the pressure regulator.
DE 101 07 224 A1 discloses a fuel pressure regulator designed to move a valve body away from a valve seat through the pressure of fuel exerted directly on the valve body without use of a diaphragm. The pressure regulator also has an L-shaped plate spring working to urge the valve body to close a fuel outlet formed in the valve seat. The fuel passes through an intricately curved flow path along the L-shaped plate spring located downstream of the fuel outlet, thus resulting in a loss of the fuel pressure.